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Maytag

Maytag Corporation was a $4.7 billion home and commercial appliance company, headquartered in Newton, Iowa from 1893 to 2006, and now part of the Whirlpool Corporation.

Company history

The Maytag Washing Machine Company was founded in 1893 by businessman Frederick Maytag. In 1925, the Maytag Washing Machine Company became Maytag, Inc. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, the company was one of the few to actually make a profit in successive years. At his father's death in 1940, Fred Maytag II, grandson of the founder, took over the presidency. During World War II, the company participated in war production by making special components for military equipment. In 1946, production of washing machines was resumed; in 1949, the first automatic washers were produced in a new purpose-built plant. In 1946, Maytag began marketing a separate line of ranges and refrigerators made by other companies under the Maytag name. During the Korean War, the company again produced parts for military equipment, although washing-machine production continued.
During the 1950s, the 'white goods,' or laundry appliance industry grew rapidly. Maytag first entered the commercial laundry field at this time, manufacturing washers and dryers for commercial self-service laundries and commercial operators. In response, other full-line appliance producers began to compete with Maytag in the white-goods consumer market. These included 'full-line' manufacturers such as General Electric, Whirlpool, and Frigidaire, who built not only washing machines and dryers, but also refrigerators, stoves, and other appliances. Since Maytag was much smaller than the full-line producers, the company decided to limit itself to the manufacture of washers and dryers, alongside ovens and refrigerators built by other companies, as a niche-market, premium-brand manufacturer. The company capitalized on its reputation by renaming its corporate address in Newton, Iowa, "One Dependability Square."
By 1960, Maytag had ceased marketing ovens and refrigerators, but later began once again to expand into kitchen appliances with its own design of portable kitchen dishwasher and a line of food-waste disposers. Upon the death of Fred Maytag II, the last family member involved in the company's management, E. G. Higdon was named president of the company, with George M. Umbreit becoming chairman and CEO. By the late 1970s, over 70 percent of U.S. households were equipped with washers and dryers, and with approximately 18,000 employees worldwide, the company was established as a dominant manufacturer of large laundry appliances. After the company's acquisition of Magic Chef, Inc., in 1986, a move which nearly doubled its size, the company acquired a new corporate name, the Maytag Corporation.
In 1997, a Maytag engineering team, at Maytag Laundry Appliances Research and Development, developed the Maytag Neptune line of front-load washers. A matching dryer was introduced to accompany the new washer. The company claimed that the new Neptune model saved energy costs over traditional washer/dryer sets. Production of the Neptune line was later switched to Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd via rebranded Samsung machines. In 2001, the company acquired the Amana Corporation and its appliance assembly facilities. That same year, Ralph F. Hake became the last chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Maytag Corporation, serving in that post until March 2006. Once renowned as the standard for laundry appliances, by 2003 the company faced increasing competition from new appliance brands in the US market, as well as from existing appliance manufacturers who had outsourced production a decade earlier in order to reduce costs. While Maytag had begun the process of shifting appliance production to lower-cost assembly plants outside the United States, by 2004 the company still produced 88 percent of its products in older U.S.-based factories. In an apparent move away from traditional company marketing strategy, company management decided on a plan to stimulate consumer purchases of new Maytag appliances before their old ones had worn out.
Costs incurred in Maytag's acquisition and integration of Amana and an increased corporate debt load led to aggressive internal cost-cutting efforts in direct materials, manufacturing, and distribution costs. Maytag introduced a 'value' priced appliance line under a separate label, Performa by Maytag. To increase sales, the company also marketed Maytag-branded 'Legacy Series' washing machines that were otherwise identical to low-end Amana models, and built in the former Herrin, Illinois Amana assembly plant. The rebranded Maytag models, later termed Amanatags by dissatisfied owners, received poor customer reviews after reports surfaced of major mechanical and/or durability problems. The company also consolidated warehouse operations and cut the number of Maytag vendors. Between 2002 and 2004, Maytag corporate management cut new-product investment in half.
An increasing chorus of consumer complaints concerning product reliability and customer service, assisted by the rapid growth of internet consumer forums, began to affect the company's reputation with customers. The company was also slow to react to customer complaints regarding its flagship Neptune washer and dryer line (labeled the Stinkomatic by dissatisfied customers), resulting in further damage to the company's reputation and a $33.5 million set-aside to settle several class-action lawsuits arising from the Neptune problems. By 2005, Maytag's market share had declined to all-time lows, sales were flat, and customer satisfaction surveys ranked Maytag near the bottom of the appliance field[4]. The problems with the Neptune line continued; in 2007, 250,000 Neptune washing machines became part of a nationwide safety recall by the Consumer Product Safety Commission due to fire danger.
On April 1, 2006, the Whirlpool Corp. completed its acquisition of Maytag Corporation. In May 2006, Whirlpool announced plans to close the former Maytag headquarters office in Newton, as well as laundry manufacturing plants in Newton, Iowa; Herrin, Illinois; and Searcy, Arkansas by 2007. Following the Maytag closure, all administration will be in Whirlpool's headquarters in Benton Harbor, Michigan. The Maytag name will still be used on rebranded Whirlpool appliances. Most Maytag employees were terminated, and some were offered jobs in Benton Harbor. The board of directors of Maytag all received five years' severance pay. Former chairman and CEO, Ralph F. Hake, received two years' base salary and two years' target bonus under his severance agreement.
On January 1, 2009, Maytag (under the ownership of the Whirlpool Corp.) changed the vested lifetime benefits of the Maytag retirees. There is a lawsuit pending in the Southern District Court of Iowa where Whirlpool has asked for permission to change the UAW bargained benefits. At this point in time, the benefits in question have already been changed without the judges consent.

Chronology
Year Event
1893 Frederick Louis Maytag arrived in Iowa by covered wagon. F.L., his two brothers-in-law, and George W. Parsons each contributed $600 for a total of $2,400 to start a new farm implement company named Parsons Band-Cutter & Self Feeder Company. They produced threshing machines, band-cutters, and self-feeder attachments invented by Parsons.
1893 Threshing machine-related injuries were all too common, and a strong need for a safer threshing machine was present. The company successfully met this need by developing a threshing machine feeder, a device which fed straw more safely into the threshing cylinder.
1902 The company was the largest feeder manufacturer in the world, and, by 1904, the Ruth was the most popular model.
1905 Maytag introduced the Success Corn Husker and Shredder.
1907 Maytag's first washing machine, the "Pastime", was produced. F.L. Maytag decided to produce these machines during the periods of seasonally related downturns in farm-implement sales. The "Pastime" washers used a wooden tub. A dolly was turned by a hand crank via wooden pegs. This turning action would pull clothes through the water and force the clothes along the corrugated tub sides producing cleaning action. A pulley allowed the machine to be operated from an outside power source such as a tractor or a windmill.
1911 A model of the Pastime with an electric motor was unveiled.
1915 Maytag developed its Multi-Motor gasoline-engine washer. This allowed customers in rural areas without electricity to utilize the automatic washers.
1919 The first aluminum washer tub was produced by Maytag. Prior to this, it had been believed in the industry that aluminum tub washers could not be built. This aluminum tub proved to have numerous advantages over the wooden tub, which had issues with leaking and rotting.
1920 L. B. Maytag, son of the company's founder, began serving as company president.
1922 Howard Snyder invented the vaned agitator. The agitator is placed inside the tub and mounted in the bottom of the tub. The concept was that, instead of washboarding or dragging the clothes, they would be gently agitated. Maytag first introduced this new washer, the Gyrafoam, and became exclusively an appliance company.
1924 By 1924, one of every five washing machines were made by Maytag in Newton, IA.
1924 Maytag introduced its first iron.
1925 Maytag was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
1926 The company was now headed by Elmer Henry Maytag, another son of F.L. Maytag.
1926 On October 12, five trainloads packed full with Maytag Washers were shipped out to the country. At this time, it was the world's largest single shipment of merchandise. Maytag broke its own record in May 1927, and shipped out eight trainloads.
1927 Maytag had produced over a million washers.
1929 Maytag realized earnings of $6,838,883, a pre-war high. Maytag also survived the Great Depression without having a loss for any year.
1934 Maytag begins production of Maytag Toy Racer automobiles on October 11.
1940 E. H. Maytag died and his son, Frederick Louis Maytag II (grandson of F.L. Maytag), became Maytag's head at the age of 29.
1941 Maytag Toy Racer production ends on December 1. During World War II Maytag no longer produced washing machines and instead concentrated on the war effort. From 1941 to 1945, Maytag made design improvements on, and manufactured special components for, military airplanes. These parts were used in sixteen different types of combat aircraft, including the B-29 Super Fortress, the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-26 Marauder, and the P-51 Mustang.
1946 The war ended and washing machine manufacturing was geared back up in Newton, IA. Maytag began selling ranges and refrigerators.
1948 Maytag's plant number two was opened in Newton, Iowa. This facility manufactured Maytag's first automatic washers, the "AMP", introduced that year. This was the start of a new age in washing machines for Maytag.
1951 The Korean War was underway, and Maytag built parts for tanks and other military equipment alongside the washing machines.
1953 Maytag introduced its first automatic dryer.
1954 Maytag's first television advertisement was aired.
1958 Maytag introduced the commercial coin-slide washers used in laundromats.
1961 Maytag's corporate headquarters building was dedicated.
1962 Upon the death of F. L. Maytag II, George M. Unibreit became chairman of the board and chief executive officer, and E.G. Higdon was named president. The company would never again be led by a Maytag family member.
1966 Maytag produced its first line of portable dishwashers. Additionally licensed its first Maytag home appliance center.
1967 Character actor Jesse White appears in the first "Maytag Repairman" TV commercial.
1972 Daniel L. Krumm succeeded E.G. Higdon as Maytag president and treasurer, and two years later he was named chief executive officer.
1975 Maytag introduced Maytag-equipped home style laundries.
1981 Maytag acquired Hardwick Stove Company.
1983 Maytag discontinued production of wringer washers, after 76 years.
1985 Maytag introduced the first-ever stacked washer/dryer.
1986 The Maytag Company became the Maytag Corporation. It acquired Magic Chef, and started selling a full line of appliances.
1987 Maytag Corporation added a line of front-loading commercial washers.
1989 Maytag acquired the Hoover Company.
1989 Gordon Jump of WKRP fame first appears as The Maytag Repairman.
1991 Maytag contracted with Montgomery Ward & Co. for the exclusive use of the Admiral brand (acquired in the Magic Chef acquisition) on its consumer electronic goods. (Admiral would later become exclusive to Home Depot after the Whirlpool Corporation purchased Maytag).
1992 Maytag began manufacturing of dishwashers in Jackson, Tennessee.
1994 Hoover introduced the first SteamVac extractors.
1997 Maytag introduced a high-efficiency washer, the Maytag Neptune.
2001 Maytag acquired Amana. Maytag relabels some Amana-built models with the 'Maytag' brand, selling them as Maytag products.
2002 A class-action lawsuit is filed against the company on behalf of Neptune washing machine consumers.
2004 Maytag Corporation announces a loss of $9 million dollars.
2005 Maytag became the subject of a takeover battle between a private investment group in the United States. (Ripplewood), a three party group composed of Blackstone, Baird and Haier Corporation, a Chinese appliance manufacturer, and the Whirlpool Corporation. On December 22, Maytag stockholders agreed to sell Maytag to Whirlpool, ending Maytag's 112-year history as an independent company.
2006 On March 31, Whirlpool Corp. completed its acquisition of Maytag and began integrating the two appliance companies.
2007 Clay Earl Jackson becomes the new Maytag repairman featured in advertising campaigns. During this year, Maytag also celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Pastime washing machine by releasing the Centennial Washer and Dryer pair.

Owned brands

Admiral
Amana
Caloric
Crosley
Dynasty
Gaffers & Sattler
Glenwood
Hardwick
Holiday
Hoover vacuums
Jade
JENN-Air
Litton
Magic Chef
Menu Master
Modern Maid
Norge
Sunray

Products

In major appliances, Maytag was among the top three companies in the North American market, offering a full line of washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, cooktops, refrigerators, and ranges under the Maytag, Hoover, Jenn-Air, Amana, Magic Chef, Dixie-Narco, and Jade brands.
Maytag sold multiple small appliances including a cordless iron under the Maytag brand, a mixer and blender under JENN-Air; the company also sold the popular Skybox and Rookie home-vending products.
In floor care, Maytag owned the Hoover brand, the market leader in North America and the floor-care brand with the highest consumer recognition and buying preference.
In commercial products, Maytag owned Dixie-Narco, a leader in refrigerated soft drink and specialty vending machines as well as Jade cooking products and Amana commercial cooking products.
Maytag had presence in markets around the world, including sales operations in Australia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom. The corporation's export sales and marketing, licensing of brands, and international joint ventures was coordinated by Maytag International in Schaumburg, Illinois.

Maytag International

In 1988, DOMICOR was established as Maytag Corporation's international division and in 1992 became Maytag International, Inc. which eventually encompassed all of Maytag's worldwide ventures including Maytag Australia, Maytag Canada, Maytag Commercial (Mexico), and Maytag UK.
Maytag International, was based in Schaumburg, Illinois, handled the sales, licensing and business ventures of corporate appliances and floorcare brands in overseas markets as well as the administrative support for the international sales organization. This network extended to more than 70 countries worldwide.
Maytag International was responsible for export sales and licensing of the corporation's appliances and floor care brands and joint ventures in overseas markets. This network extends to more than 90 countries worldwide. The main office is located in Chicago with major subsidiary offices in Burlington, Ontario (Canada), Monterrey (Mexico), Sydney (Australia), and London (England) and region sales offices in Beirut (Lebanon) and Guaynabo (Puerto Rico).

Manufacturing plants

At the time of acquisition, Maytag had 14 manufacturing plants throughout the United States and Mexico. These include:
laundry manufacturing plants in Newton, Iowa; Herrin, Illinois; and Searcy, Arkansas, in the U.S., and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, in Mexico
refrigeration manufacturing plants in Amana, Iowa and Reynosa, Tamaulipas
cooking manufacturing plant in Cleveland, Tennessee
dishwashing manufacturing plant in Jackson, Tennessee
vending manufacturing plant in Williston, South Carolina
floor-care manufacturing plants in North Canton, Ohio, El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua.
subassembly manufacturing plant in Reynosa, Tamaulipas
There are also manufacturing plants in China

Ol' Lonely

Gordon Jump as the Maytag repairman
Ol' Lonely, or "the lonely repairman", is a character in Maytag advertisements, created for Maytag by copywriter Vincent R. Vassolo of the Leo Burnett advertising agency. His character was initially played by Jesse White, who retained the role until 1988. In a time in which the laundry appliances of major manufacturers had reached maturity, differing mostly in minor details, the campaign was designed to remind consumers of the perceived added value in Maytag products derived from the brand's reputation for dependability. Maytag advertisements stated “Ol' Lonely’s predicament is testimony to the durability and reliability of Maytag appliances. Now if only he had something to do with his days.” The campaign proved a huge success, allowing Maytag to set a substantial price premium, as well as strongly influencing consumer preference at the higher end of the laundry appliance market.
In 1986, the repairman was joined by Newton, a basset hound named for Maytag’s headquarters in Newton, Iowa. In 1989, character actor Gordon Jump first appeared as Ol' Lonely in the advertisement “Biker.” In total, Jump appeared in more than 77 Maytag commercials and print advertisements. He made appearances at events for employees and customers and also was actively involved in several philanthropic and charitable causes. Ironically, a former Maytag repairman was convicted of fabricating repair and expense claims.
Actor Hardy Rawls was hired to play Ol' Lonely after Jump's retirement in 2003, although he appeared only in print advertising and personal appearances. Gordon Jump died two months later on September 22, 2003. In French-speaking Quebec, Ol' Lonely was played by Paul Berval. For a period of time Maytag gave Ol' Lonely a younger sidekick character known as the 'Maytag Apprentice', played by actor Mark Devine. However, in 2005 Maytag cancelled his contract. Maytag also elected not to renew Rawls' contract, instead holding open auditions. Indianapolis Colts backup quarterback Jim Sorgi was among those who auditioned.On April 2, 2007, Maytag announced that Clay Earl Jackson of Richmond, Virginia had been selected to fill the role of Ol' Lonely.
By the end of the twentieth century, the "Maytag repairman" character had become an iconic metaphor for a professional whose services are rarely needed, such as "Most people in town now have their own cars, making the local bus driver like the Maytag repairman." Times were changing however, and events at Maytag and within the industry began to diminish the effectiveness of the long-lived Maytag- repairman campaign. Consumer demand for innovative, expensive, and increasingly complex electronically-controlled and computerized appliances, coupled with higher labor costs and complaints over Maytag product quality and service, influenced a decline in Maytag sales and profit margins. By 2004, the Maytag repairman character had become to some consumers a symbol of misplaced trust in aging marketing campaigns.[27][28] As one commentator noted, "Unfortunately things change, and, after some major quality hiccups, now it's the Maytag salesman who is bemoaning his loneliness. Maytag's reputation has plunged to the bottom with costly consumer class action lawsuits and numerous quality complaints."[29] As a partial result of Maytag's quality problems, the company reported a loss of $9 million in 2004, according to Industry Week.
Source:wikipedia
Sponsor:Click2.info

Russell Crowe

Russell Ira Crowe, (born 7 April 1964) is a New Zealand-born, naturalized Australian actor and musician. His acting career began in the early 1990s with roles in Australian TV series such as Police Rescue and films such as Romper Stomper. In the late 1990s, he began appearing in US films such as the 1997 movie L.A. Confidential. He has been nominated for three Oscars, and in 2001, he won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his starring role in the film Gladiator. Crowe is also co-owner of National Rugby League team the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Early life

Crowe was born in Wellington, New Zealand, the son of Jocelyn Yvonne (née Wemyss) and John Alexander Crowe, both of whom were movie set caterers; his father also managed a hotel.  Crowe's maternal grandfather, Stan Wemyss, was a cinematographer who, according to Crowe, produced the first film by New Zealander Geoff Murphy,[6][dead link] and was also named an MBE for filming footage of World War II. Crowe's maternal great-great grandmother was Māori, and his paternal grandfather was from Wrexham, Wales;Crowe also has Scottish, Norwegian, English and Irish ancestry. Two of his cousins, Martin and Jeff Crowe, are former New Zealand national cricket captains.
When Crowe was four years old, his family moved to Australia, where his parents pursued a career in film set catering. The producer of the Australian TV series Spyforce was his mother's godfather, and Crowe at age five or six was hired for a line of dialogue in one episode, opposite series star Jack Thompson. (In 1994 Thompson played Crowe's father in The Sum of Us. He had been educated at the same school which Crowe was to attend for two years: Sydney Boys High School.) Crowe also appeared briefly in serial The Young Doctors.
From his youth to the present, Crowe has had a special love of horses. "They're just like people," he told CraveOnline, "there are some horses that you have a deeper connection with immediately, and you can work on that over time." He has also noted that he sometimes finds it difficult to part with his equine co-stars when a film wraps.
When he was 14, Crowe's family moved back to New Zealand, where he (along with his brother Terry) attended Auckland Grammar School with cousins Martin Crowe and Jeff Crowe. He then continued his secondary education at Mount Roskill Grammar School, which he left at age 16 to chase his dreams of becoming a musician or actor. A classmate and friend from that time, John Maloney, remembers Crowe as a "sombre, misshapen" boy who was "frequently shirtless and even more frequently sans culottes".
In the mid-1980s Russell, under guidance from his good friend Tom Sharplin, performed as a rock 'n' roll revivalist, under the stage name Russ Le Roq, and had a New Zealand single with "I Just Want To Be Like Marlon Brando." In 1986 he was given his first professional role by director Daniel Abineri in a production of The Rocky Horror Show. He played the role of Eddie/Dr Scott. He repeated this performance in a further Australian production of the show. In the 1988 Australian production of Blood Brothers, Crowe played the role of Mickey. He was also cast again by Daniel Abineri in the role of Johnny in the stage musical of Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom in 1989.
Crowe returned to Australia at age 21, intending to apply to the National Institute of Dramatic Art. "I was working in a theatre show, and talked to a guy who was then the head of technical support at NIDA," Crowe recalled. "I asked him what he thought about me spending three years at NIDA. He told me it'd be a waste of time. He said, 'You already do the things you go there to learn, and you've been doing it for most of your life, so there's nothing to teach you but bad habits.'" In 1987 Crowe spent a six-month stint as a busker when he couldn't find other work.
After appearing in the TV series Neighbours and Living with the Law, Crowe was cast in his first film, The Crossing (1990), a small-town love triangle directed by George Ogilvie. Before production started, a film-student protégé of Ogilvie's, Steve Wallace, hired Crowe for the film Blood Oath (1990) (aka Prisoners of the Sun) which was released a month earlier than The Crossing, although actually filmed later. In 1992, Crowe starred in the first episode of the second series of Police Rescue. Also in 1992 Crowe starred in Romper Stomper, an Australian film which follows the exploits and downfall of a racist skinhead group in blue-collar suburban Melbourne, directed by Geoffrey Wright, for which Crowe won an Australian Film Institute (AFI) award for Best Actor, following up from his Best Supporting Actor award for Proof in 1991.



Hollywood

This section requires expansion.
After initial success in Australia, Crowe began acting in American films. He first co-starred with Denzel Washington in Virtuosity, and with Sharon Stone in The Quick and the Dead in 1995. He went on to become a three-time Oscar nominee, winning the Academy Award as Best Actor in 2001 for Gladiator. Crowe wore his grandfather Stan Wemyss's Member of the Order of the British Empire medal to the ceremony.
Crowe received three consecutive best actor Oscar nominations for The Insider, Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind. Crowe won the best actor award for A Beautiful Mind at the 2002 BAFTA award ceremony. However he failed to win the Oscar that year, losing to Denzel Washington. It has been suggested that his attack on television producer Malcolm Gerrie for cutting short his acceptance speech may have turned voters against him.


Crowe at the London premiere for State of Play in April 2009
All three films were also nominated for best picture, and both Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind won the award. Within the six year stretch from 1997–2003, he also starred in two other best picture nominees, L.A. Confidential and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, though he was nominated for neither. In 2005 he re-teamed with A Beautiful Mind director Ron Howard for Cinderella Man. In 2006 he re-teamed with Gladiator director Ridley Scott for A Good Year, the first of two consecutive collaborations (the second being American Gangster co-starring again with Denzel Washington, released in late 2007). While the light romantic comedy of A Good Year was not greatly received, Crowe seemed pleased with the film, telling STV in an interview that he thought it would be enjoyed by fans of his other films.
On 9 March 2005, Crowe revealed to GQ magazine that Federal Bureau of Investigation agents had approached him prior to the 73rd Academy Awards on 25 March 2001 and told him that the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda wanted to kidnap him. Crowe told the magazine that it was the first time he had ever heard of al-Qaeda (the 11 September attacks took place later that year) and was quoted as saying:
"You get this late-night call from the FBI when you arrive in Los Angeles, and they're, like, absolutely full-on. 'We’ve got to talk to you now before you do anything. We have to have a discussion with you, Mr Crowe.'" Crowe recalled that "it was something to do with some recording picked up by a French policewoman, I think, in either Libya or Algiers...it was about taking iconographic Americans out of the picture as a sort of cultural-destabilisation plan".
Crowe was guarded by Secret Service agents for the next few months, both while shooting films and at award ceremonies (Scotland Yard also guarded Crowe while he was promoting Proof of Life in London in February 2001). Crowe said that he "...never fully understood what the fuck was going on."
Crowe will appear in Robin Hood, an upcoming film based on the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott, due for release on May 14, 2010.
Crowe is slated to appear in the Paul Haggis film The Next Three Days, an adaptation of the 2008 French film Pour Elle.


Charities

One of several tree donations by Russell Crowe, Centennial Park in Sydney
Crowe, who was in Toronto filming Cinderella Man with director Ron Howard, learned of a fire-bombing at a Jewish elementary school that took place in Montreal. Police said a note with anti-Semitic comments was found on the outside wall of the gutted library. He was so distraught that he offered (a reported $250,000 donation) to help rebuild the school's library. Montreal resident Shelley Paris says, "It was a huge morale boost for the school community. He said he was very upset about what had happened that a place of learning should be attacked that way. He wanted to make sure that our students knew that he was thinking about them and that he was very upset about the fire-bombing."
On another occasion, Crowe donated a large sum of money ($200,000) to a struggling primary school near his home in rural Australia. Crowe's sympathies were sparked when a pupil drowned at the nearby Coffs Harbour beach in 2001, and he believes the pool will help students become better swimmers and improve their knowledge of water safety. At the opening ceremony in characteristic Crowe style he dove into the pool fully clothed as soon as the venue was declared open. Nana Glen principal Laurie Renshall says, "The many things he does up here, people just don't know about. We've been trying to get a pool for 10 years."



Personal life

On 7 April 2003, his 39th birthday, Crowe married Australian singer and actress Danielle Spencer. Crowe met Spencer while filming The Crossing (1990). Crowe and Spencer have two sons: Charles "Charlie" Spencer (born 21 December 2003) and Tennyson Spencer (born 7 July 2006).
Prior to his marriage to Spencer, Crowe had a relationship with Meg Ryan during and after the filming of Proof of Life in 2000.
Most of the year, Crowe resides in Australia. He has a home in Sydney at the end of the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo and a 320-hectare rural property in Nana Glen near Coffs Harbour, New South Wales.
Crowe also owns a house in the North Queensland city of Townsville: he purchased the $450,000 home in the suburb of Douglas on 3 May 2008. It's believed the home is for his niece, who is studying at James Cook University.
Crowe stated in November 2007 that he would like to be baptised, and feels that he has put it off for too long. "I do believe there are more important things than what is in the mind of a man," he says. "There is something much bigger that drives us all. I'm willing to take that leap of faith."
In the beginning of 2009, Crowe appeared in a series of special edition postage stamps called "Legends of the Screen", featuring Australian actors. He, Geoffrey Rush, Cate Blanchett, and Nicole Kidman each appear twice in the series: once as themselves and once as their Academy Award-winning character.



South Sydney Rabbitohs
Crowe has been a supporter of the rugby league football team the South Sydney Rabbitohs since childhood. Since his rise to fame as an actor, he has continued appearing at home games, and supported the financially troubled club. Following the Super League war of the 1990s Crowe made an attempt to use his Hollywood connections to convince Ted Turner, rival of Super League's Rupert Murdoch, to save the Rabbitohs before they were forced from the National Rugby League competition for two years. In 1999 Crowe paid A$42,000 at auction for the brass bell used to open the inaugural rugby league match in Australia in 1908 at a fundraiser to assist Souths' legal battle for inclusion in the League. In 2005, he made the Rabbitohs the first club team in Australia to be sponsored by a film, when he negotiated a deal to advertise his movie Cinderella Man on their jerseys.
He is friends with many current and former players of the club, and currently employs former South Sydney forward Mark Carroll as a bodyguard and personal trainer. He has encouraged other actors to support the club, such as Tom Cruise and Burt Reynolds.
On 19 March 2006, the voting members of the South Sydney club voted (in a 75.8% majority) to allow Crowe and businessman Peter Holmes à Court to purchase 75% of the organisation, leaving 25% ownership with the members. It cost them A$3 million, and they received four of eight seats on the board of directors. A six part television miniseries entitled "South Side Story" depicting the takeover aired in Australia in 2007.
On 5 November 2006, Russell Crowe appeared on Tonight Show with Jay Leno to announce that Firepower International was sponsoring the South Sydney Rabbitohs for $3 million over three years. During a Tonight Show with Jay Leno appearance, watched by over 11 million viewers, Crowe showed viewers a Rabbitoh playing jersey with Firepower's name emblazoned on it.
Crowe helped to organise a rugby league game that took place in Jacksonville, Florida between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the English Super League champions Leeds Rhinos on 26 January 2008 (Australia Day). The game was played at the University of North Florida. Crowe told ITV Local Yorkshire the game wasn't a marketing exercise.
Crowe wrote a letter of apology to a Sydney newspaper following the sacking of South Sydney's coach Jason Taylor and one of their players David Fa'alogo after a drunken altercation between the two at the end of the 2009 NRL season.
Also in 2009 Crowe persuaded young England international forward Sam Burgess to sign with the Rabbitohs over other clubs that were competing for his signature, after inviting Burgess and his mother to the set of Robin Hood, which he was filming in England at the time.


Other sporting interests
In European soccer, Russell acknowledged to be a fan of FC Barcelona.
Crowe is a big cricket fan. He played cricket in school and his cousins Martin Crowe and Jeff Crowe are former Black Caps Captains. Russell Crowe also captained the 'Australian' Team containing Steve Waugh against an English side in the 'Hollywood Ashes' Cricket Match.[34] On 17 July 2009, Crowe took to the commentary box for the British sports channel, Sky Sports, as the 'third man' during the second test of the 2009 Ashes series, between England and Australia.
He is also a fan of the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League[36] and a supporter of the Leeds Rhinos[citation needed] in the Super League.
Crowe is a big supporter of the University of Michigan Wolverines American football team, an interest that stems from his friendship with former Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr. Carr used Crowe's movie Cinderella Man to motivate his team in 2006 following a disappointing 7–5 season the previous year. Upon hearing of this, Crowe called Carr and invited him to Australia to address his Rugby league team the South Sydney Rabbitohs, an offer Carr took Crowe up on the following summer. In September 2007, after Carr came under fire following the Wolverines' 0–2 start, Crowe traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Wolverines' 15 September game against Notre Dame to show his support for Carr. He addressed the team before the game and watched from the sidelines as the Wolverines defeated the Irish 38–0.
Crowe is also a fan of the National Football League, and on 22 October 2007, appeared in the booth of a Monday Night game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars. He is also a devout fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs which stems from his shooting of Cinderella Man at Maple Leaf Gardens.



Altercations

June 2005: Russell Crowe en route to his arraignment for the phone throwing incident
Crowe has been involved in a number of altercations in recent years which have given him a reputation for having a bad temper.
In 1999, Crowe was involved in a scuffle at the Plantation Hotel in Coffs Harbour, Australia, which was caught on security video. Two men were acquitted of using the video in an attempt to blackmail Crowe.[40]
When part of Crowe's appearance at the 2002 BAFTA awards was cut out to fit into the BBC's tape-delayed broadcast, Crowe used strong language during an argument with producer Malcolm Gerrie. The part cut was a poem in tribute to actor Richard Harris who was then terminally ill, and was cut for copyright reasons. Crowe later apologised, saying "What I said to him may have been a little bit more passionate than now, in the cold light of day, I would have liked it to have been." Later that year, Crowe was alleged to have been involved in a "brawl" inside a trendy Japanese restaurant in London.The fight was broken up by British television actor Ross Kemp.
In June 2005, Crowe was arrested and charged with second-degree assault by New York City police, after he threw a telephone at an employee of the Mercer Hotel who refused to help him place a call when the system did not work from his room, and was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon (the telephone). The employee, a concierge, was treated for a facial laceration. Crowe described the incident as "possibly the most shameful situation that I've ever gotten myself in... and I've done some pretty dumb things in my life". He was sentenced to conditional release. Prior to the plea bargain, Crowe settled a lawsuit filed by the concierge, Nestor Estrada.Terms of the settlement were not disclosed but amounts in the 6 figure range have been suggested.



Musician

Crowe at O'Reilly's Pub in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Crowe, going under the name of "Rus le Roq", recorded a 1980s tune titled "I Want To Be Like Marlon Brando". Crowe and a friend formed a band, "Roman Antix", which later evolved into the Australian pub rock band 30 Odd Foot Of Grunts (TOFOG). Crowe performed lead vocals and guitar for the band, which formed in 1992. The band had found neither critical nor popular success but had several releases including 1998's Gaslight, 2001's Bastard Life or Clarity and 2003's Other Ways of Speaking, plus various CD releases now out of print. The band's web site indicates that group has "dissolved/evolved" and states that Crowe's music would take a new direction.
He continued with a collaboration with Alan Doyle of the Canadian band Great Big Sea in early 2005, which also involved members of his previous band. A new single, Raewyn, was released in April 2005 and an album entitled My Hand, My Heart has been released for download on iTunes. The album includes a tribute song to actor Richard Harris, who became Crowe's friend during the making of Gladiator. In 2002, he directed the music video clip (which starred former child actor Duy Nguyen) for his wife Danielle Spencer's single 'Tickle Me' from her 'White Monkey' album. On 10 March 2006, Russell Crowe performed with his new band The Ordinary Fear of God on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Crowe landed a role in a musical, Grease, in 1983. From 1986–1988, Crowe performed in the touring production of The Rocky Horror Show. In Summer 2010, Crowe will work with Irish band size2shoes on their second album at his personal studio.


Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
1990 Blood Oath Lt. Jack Corbett
The Crossing Johnny Ryan Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award – Best Actor in Lead Role
1991 Proof Andy Australian Film Institute Award – Best Supporting Actor
Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Actor – Male
1992 Spotswood Kim Barrett
Romper Stomper Hando Australian Film Institute Award – Best Actor in Lead Role
Seattle International Film Festival for Best Actor also for Hammers Over the Anvil
1993 Hammers Over the Anvil East Driscoll Seattle International Film Festival for Best Actor also for Romper Stomper
The Silver Brumby The Man (Egan)
For the Moment Lachlan Currie
1994 The Sum of Us Jeff Mitchell
1995 The Quick and the Dead Cort
No Way Back FBI Agent Zack Grant
Virtuosity SID 6.7
Rough Magic Alex Ross
1997 L.A. Confidential Officer Wendell "Bud" White Chlotrudis Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Heaven's Burning Colin O'Brien
Breaking Up Steve
1999 Mystery, Alaska Sheriff John Biebe
The Insider Jeffrey Wigand Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for Gladiator
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
National Board of Review Award for Best Actor
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
2000 Gladiator Maximus Decimus Meridius Academy Award for Best Actor
Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor – Action
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Empire Award for Best Actor
London Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for The Insider
San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Fight
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Proof of Life Terry Thorne Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor – Suspense
2001 A Beautiful Mind John Nash BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—American Film Institute Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award – Best Actor in Lead Role
Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—MTV Movie Award for Best Performance
Nominated—Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2003 Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World Capt. Jack Aubrey Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
2005 Cinderella Man Jim Braddock Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award – Best International Actor
Nominated—Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
2006 A Good Year Max Skinner
2007 3:10 to Yuma Ben Wade Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
American Gangster Det. Richie Roberts Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award – Best International Actor
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2008 Tenderness Detective Cristofuoro
Body of Lies Ed Hoffman
2009 State of Play Cal McAffrey Australian Film Institute Award – Best International Actor
2010 Robin Hood Robin Hood
2011 The Next Three Days[53] Post-production
In Search Of Immortality / Amrit Kumbh[54] Announced, Indian film
Source:wikipedia

Ascension of Christ

Ascension Day (in Switzerland and Liechtenstein: drive ) within the Christian faith, the return of Jesus Christ as the Son of God to His Father in heaven. Ascension is on the 40th Day of the Easter circle , ie 39 days after Easter Sunday celebration. Therefore, the festival falls always on a Thursday. The earliest possible date is 30 April, the latest possible the third June. In 2010, the holiday falls on the 13th May


Origin and Meaning

In the writings of the New Testament is in Luke 24.50-53 EUand Acts 1.1 to 11 EUshows that the Risen Christ during forty days after his resurrection before his disciples and was then in heaven on the place at the right hand raised was (the place right by the owner since ancient times belonged to the heir or the guest of honor). The Ascension is also mentioned in Mk 16,19 EU, 1 Pet 3,22 EU, Lift 4,14 EUand 9.24 EU, and - from a Christian perspective - P 68,19 EU.
The Ascension of Christ has great significance for the Christian eschatology . Him who humbles himself and has become obedient until death on the cross, God has increased all over and given him a name which is above every name ( Phil 2.8 to 9 EU).
The belief in the Assumption is early Christian texts and beliefs evidenced in, for example, Polycarp , Justin and Irenaeus of Lyons . The belief in the Assumption is also expressed in the old Roman Creed of the third century, the forerunner of the Apostles' Creed of 325 and the Nicene Creed of 381:
"He is on the third day he rose again
and ascended into heaven and .
is seated at the right hand of the Father
, and will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
his kingdom will be no end. "
The Solemnity of the Ascension of Christ in the liturgy of Jerusalem since 383 / 384 by the report of the pilgrim Egeria witnessed. According to Luke's texts is the date forty days after Easter and ten days before Pentecost.
The nine days between Ascension and Pentecost, the time of Pentecost , in particular, at the descent of the Holy Spirit is praying.
Three days prior to Ascension found in Catholic areas, the Rogation Days instead. On these days are called the processions take place. These processions to the fields of the municipalities or from place to place to serve the intercession of a good harvest.
In the Catholic tradition of the Baroque in some areas (eg in Bavaria, Mittenwald , or in Neustift Monastery in South Tyrol ), the statue of the Risen Christ's ascension through the " Holy Spirit holes on the Church of memory drawn.

Resurrection and Ascension

The ratio of the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ was and is the subject of theological debate. In traditional theology, there is a clear demarcation of Easter, on which the resurrection of Jesus Christ day after his death is celebrated on the third. Jesus rose after his crucifixion , first in an "in depth" localized beyond down ("descended into the realm of the dead", also see Jesus' descent into hell ), from the third day he rose again to the living on. The Ascension of Jesus to the later described the following event, that Jesus came into the hereafter own, without (again) die and leave behind a corpse without. This ascension, he got into an "on high" located on the other side (see heaven ). If we stick to the only concrete indication of time in the Bible, passed between the Resurrection and Ascension 40 days ( Acts 1,3.9 f LUT), although Luke 24,51 LUTAscension on Easter Day seems to suggest one. Therefore, Assumption is the feast of Christ days after Easter, celebrated 40th
Many theologians today reversed stress the commonality of resurrection and ascension. According to Conzelmann / Lindemann, there is no fundamental difference between resurrection and exaltation of Jesus: "The general rule is that Jesus 'resurrection, never as a mere revival of his body [...] has been understood, means the Easter event in Jesus' establishment of a unique dignity (cf. Rom 1.3 f LUT), so basically resurrection and exaltation at the same time. This is true even where, as in the hymn of Phil from 2.6 to 11 LUTonly on the increase, but not the resurrection of the talk is of, or conversely, where explicit statement is missing an increase (cf. 1 Cor 15.4 f. LUT). Although each case is the emphasis placed differ, but one fundamental difference is not. "[1]
"It was only later resurrection and exaltation ( Mary ) deliberately separated from each other, without it would come to a single view, however (after Luke 24,51 LUTwas the ascent to heaven on Easter Day, after Acts f. 1,3.9 LUTonly forty days later). [...] Will later distinguish between the actual Easter appearances on earth ( Luke 24 LUT, Acts 1 LUT), and the other appearances of Christ from heaven ( Acts 7.55 f. LUT; Acts 9.3 ff LUT). " [1]The fundamental event is the victory. God pulls his son out and up. This is a triumph over the powers of this world, a triumph of which all Christians have a share.
Iconography

In the early Christian catacomb is found ascension is not the motive. From the 4th Century, it unfolds in different ways to play:
Christ by angels borne aloft.
Christ walks into heaven and is from the hand of God put into reception.
Around 1000 is the guy on the disappearing Christ. Often leaving only the legs and feet together with the visible footprint, 14 from Century, only the footprints.
In the Catholic iconography of the Baroque comes the Typos "Ascension" in favor of the motif of the Assumption of Mary , and the glorification of other popular saint back a little.[2]
Holiday

The Feast of the Ascension is in the liturgy of the Catholic Church , the Orthodox Church and the Anglican Church as the Feast committed. In Germany there is also a public holiday since 1936.


Ascension Day public holiday in Germany
Ascension Day is a public holiday in Germany , which Switzerland , Austria and Sweden , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Greenland , Haiti , Indonesia , Iceland , Colombia , Liechtenstein , Luxembourg , Madagascar , Namibia , Netherlands and Norway . In Italy (Ascension), , Poland and Hungary was the festival public holiday several years ago and is now being abolished as the church celebrated the following Sunday. In Italy run intensive efforts, Ascension Day public holiday again than to introduce. Over 12 draft laws in this regard are in the Roman Parliament in both chambers on it. Many Italian ministers and politicians are positive about the concerns, as well as high-ranking church officials.
In the secular world has developed in Germany for the holiday Father's Day , also known as Men's Day and Father's Day means. On that day, there are customs such as the game master (a carriage ride or hike in nature with consumption of alcohol) or day trips with the whole family.
In 2008, Ascension of Christ was with the holiday, " Labor Day "(May 1 combined). This situation occurs very rarely only one, previously modified in 1913 and after 2008 again until 2160th
In addition, every year on Ascension Day in Aachen, the Charlemagne Prize awarded.
In Erftstadt-Gymnich takes to Ascension of Gymnich ride instead of a pilgrimage, the rider and Fußpilger attend.
See also

Church year , Öschprozession , weather blessing , Assumption
Ascension
Holidays in Germany , Austria and Switzerland
Dates of the movable holidays in Germany
Literature

New Testament and theological
Alfons Weiser , Horst Georg Pohlmann : Art Ascension I. New Testament Church History II / systematic-theological . In: Encyclopedia of Theology Real 15 (1986), p. 330-341 (with further references)
AW Zwiep: The Ascension of the Messiah in Lukan Christology . Supplements to Novum Testamentum 87th Brill, Leiden etc. 1997 ISBN 90-04-10897-1
M. Muehling: Basic Information eschatology, Göttingen 2007 (Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht) ISBN 978-3-525-03619-8 , 101-122, esp 117-119
Thomas Marschler : resurrection and ascension of Christ in the scholastic theology, to Thomas Aquinas . Contributions to the history of philosophy and theology of the Middle Ages NF 64.1 to 2. Aschendorff, Münster 2003 ISBN 3-402-04017-4
Douglas Farrow: Ascension and Ecclesia. On the Significance of the Doctrine of the Ascension for Ecclesiology and Christian Cosmology . T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh 1999 ISBN 0-567-08676-3
Jens Herzer, : Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, Christmas. What we know about the origins of Christianity? Focus on the Bible, 4th Evang. Main Bibelges. and Canstein Bibelanst., Berlin 2000 ISBN 3-7461-0144-1 (and a generally scientifically sound)
Fritz Rienecker (Hg): Encyclopedia of the Bible. R. Brockhaus Verlag Wuppertal
Hans Conzelmann : plan of the theology of the New Testament , 4 Ed / edited by Andreas Lindemann. Tübingen 1987th UTB 1446, ISBN 3-16-145161-9.
Christian festival calendar
Hans-Christoph Schmidt-Lauber : Article Ascension . In: Encyclopedia of Theology Real 15 (1986), p. 341-344 (with further references)
Hans Jürgen milter (ed.) ascension - the proximity of Christ celebrate. Sermons and liturgical designs . Ministry of the Word 72nd Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 1996 ISBN 3-525-59337-6
Uehlein Hermann: hymns and text history. Literary tradition of education at the example of the German Day song from the Enlightenment to the present . Pietas Liturgica, Studia 10th King & Neumann, Würzburg; EOS-Verl., St. Ottilie 1995 ISBN 3-8260-1081-7
Friedrich Benesch: The event of the Ascension of Christ. The forty days. Urachhaus, 1997, ISBN 3-87838-285-5
Hermann Kirchhoff: Ascension to St. Martin in the Christian tradition. Kösel, Munich, 1986, ISBN
Source:wikipedia